Upon a recent flight home, I have discovered that I really don’t like how the airlines run their business. The staff is friendly enough, but the baggage and meal situation drives me nuts.
Yes, I understand that the airlines have cut certain perks to keep their airlines afloat. The meal service I can do without. I’m ok going three to six hours on a domestic U.S. flight without a meal. I can easily bring my favorite protein bar, a few snacks, or gum to tie me over.
However, the baggage limit and extra baggage cost drives me crazy. If you can carry on your bag, the current fees I have come across have been $25 to $50 per piece. Fairly simple math means that if I check in a bag twice, I have to add $50 to my ticket. I would much rather prefer the option of paying the slightly higher ticket piece that includes a piece of baggage or having a discounted ticket that clearly states that this ticket has no checked baggage.
If you had a bag/no bag option, you’d feel less ripped off. You know that you’d be able to check in one bag if you had picked that option. I know I can fit my stuff into a 25 lb carry on for a week stay on Kauai. On a business trip to New York City, I know I’d need more clothes and a larger bag and I’d pick the ticket with bag option. I would gladly pay ahead, spend the money, and forget about it. Money spent is money forgotten. Pay the fee in the ticket and you forget about it. Nickel and dime me to death and it drives me crazy. I also remember those annoying nickels and dimes.
It just leaves a bitter taste in my mouth. What happen to the K.I.S.S. formula (Keep It Simple Stupid!)? One ticket, one checked bag equals easy flight. Instead, it is buy the ticket, pay for your bag to fly, spend money on top of your airline ticket, do your business trip or vacation trip, go back to the airport, check in, spend more money for your bag to go back.
It’s bad enough the weight you are allowed to take has dropped from 70 lbs to 50 lbs per checked in piece. You also lost the two pieces you use to take for free (at least they were included in the ticket cost). Now you get nothing; just a carry on piece. So the airline has dropped the weight by 140 lbs per person.
I’m not saying that I want everyone to bring a cage full of chickens on the plane; I just want to be able to bring one lousy checked piece and include it in my ticket cost. If I know I’m going on a short trip, I’ll get the cheaper ticket without the baggage. Don’t make me pay the baggage charge at the start of my airline trip. It just gets me pissed off that the whole airline industry has gone to hell. It reminds me of “the good old days” and I’m too young to be thinking of “the good old days.” It is a slap in my face. It reminds me that airline travel is a big pain the ass compared how it once was.
Sadly, we aren’t safer anymore. We recently had a grandmother bring her loaded handgun through TSA’s awesome screening process at a major American airport. Heck, if grandma can make it through what else makes it through security? Yet, I can’t take my bottle of water through security while travelling with my whole family? Seriously? Does that make sense?
Enjoy your next flight.
Kevin Hellriegel's Blog of Worthless Advice 
Those things, in addition to the inexcusable hoops travelers have to jump through along with TSA groping my junk are just some of the reasons why I try to avoid flying as much as possible in the US. I prefer to drive or take buses long distances.
Or take the train. Sadly, to get to Kauai I have to fly.
Obviously you need to come work for the company that produces these flying tubes of distain.